Internationally Acclaimed Organist to Perform as Part of Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series

Organist Neil Cockburn (pronounced COH-burn) will perform as part of the Chapel Artist Series on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. in St. Memorial Chapel at the College of the Holy Cross. The program will include selections from Dieterich Buxtehude, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Michael Praetorius, Jehan Titelouze, Louis Couperin, and Johann Sebastian Bach. The performance is free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.

As head of organ studies at Mount Royal Conservatory, Cockburn has become a central figure in the international development of the musical culture of the pipe organ in Calgary and Western Canada.  His is the recipient of numerous awards including the First Prize at the 1996 Dublin (Ireland) International Organ Competition, the W. T. Best Memorial Organ Scholarship (UK), a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust (UK), and the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Prize.

Celebrated for his diverse repertoire interests and expertise, he is known particularly for his many concerto performances with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Cockburn received his musical education at Oxford University, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the Conservatoire Nationale de Région Rueil-Malmaison, France, and the University of Calgary.

Future performances of the 2011-12 Chapel Artist Series include:

• Sunday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m. – John Grew, organist • Sunday, April 29, 3 p.m. – Philippe Lefebvre, organist

For more information about any of the performances in the Chapel Artists Series, please call the music department at (508) 793-2296, or visit the department’s website.